jamie_redfearn's review
So many characters and nothing is happening. It’s a big plot so I would expect more to be happening. I made myself press through the last 50 pages but still nothing more is happening. I’m so bored.
eveblunden's review
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
merose's review against another edition
5.0
Somehow Ann Patchett has written a quietly beautiful book set inside a locked residence during a hostage crisis. The characters are beautifully drawn and complex, and Patchett expertly deploys a third-party omniscient narrator to tell this story. It's a masterpiece. Five stars, and highly recommended.
ali_runs_and_reads's review against another edition
2.0
🎧 Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
⭐️⭐️
I heard from multiple people that this was one of best books they’ve ever read. Bel Canto is loosely based on real events in Peru when rebels stormed a party at the Japanese ambassador’s residence during a party and help hundreds of civilians hostage. In Bel Canto the party is at the vice president’s house during a birthday party for a Japanese businessman where a famous opera singer was performing. Bel Canto felt like a book that was trying too hard. I didn’t connect with any of the hostages until about 2/3 of the way through the book. Mostly it dragged and seemed like nothing would ever get resolved. I don’t understand the rave reviews. It reminded me a lot of Anxious People by Fredrik Backman. The hostages and rebels develop a connection. They bond through music and art and language. By the end there are no “bad guys” and you know there’s no way for this to end without tragedy. Then it just sort of ends. Totally anticlimactic. Meh.
rwaringcrane's review against another edition
4.0
Rich description and thoughtful character development create both believable setting and multi-layered personalities for an unbelievable series of events.
alessajill's review against another edition
3.0
I really like Ann Patchett's writing and her characters, and I was even able to suspend belief and get into this very implausible story that is basically about Stockholm Syndrome. But I hated the end of the book. Sigh.